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NZ no longer had an airforce. FYI, FOXNEWS just reported that Saffi will be deported.

That would be HAS an airforce.

And it IS Saddamn's son, right? That's what I heard.

FYI, FOXNEWS just reported that Saffi will be deported.

State department. No cahones.

Yes indeed. That was the joke to my Antipodean friends here... actually IIRC they still have an Air Force but it is strictly a kind of transport outfit. What they stood down was the fighter force, which was flying obsolescent A-4s. The obsolescence of the fighters wasn't that big a deal because the pilots were so good (good men with bad weapons beat poor men with good weapons every time). At least some of the pilots have hired on with other nations. I hear that two went to the Sultan of Oman's Air Force (which uses lots of mercenary pilots, mostly ex-RAF).

Sir Tim is a very well-known collector and restorer of historic fighter planes (Spitfire, Hurricane, Mustang, Russian Yaks, etc) from Wanaka, NZ. The defence of the nation is now in his hands, which puts a heavy load on New Zealand's diplomacy.

In real terms, what NZ's policies are saying is, "We'll rely primarily on hope as a method, but if we get really deep into trouble the Yanks and Aussies will come bail us out." Eh, it will probably work for them. If not, well the Indonesians and Chinese are gentle masters -- ask the folks in Timor and Tibet.

Thanks for the update on Saffi, as I don't do TV. :) Bad luck if he is really a good guy who just happens to be loosely related to a schmuck. One thing that is really at risk, mostly through the comic ineptitude and Gestapo ethic of John Magaw's TSA, is the US's position as the leader in aviation and flight training, which has enormous benefits for the nation. One understands how in times of war they err on the side of caution, but so far nothing the TSA has done is any obstacle to a terrorist, and most of it seems bent on developing an intrusive citizen-surveillance system.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F